the progress

The Elk River, a decade into the recovery

CalTrout has spent more than a decade working to reverse that damage through the Elk River Recovery Program, a five-phase effort to address sediment impairment, reduce nuisance flooding, and rebuild habitat from the headwaters to the bay. In July 2026, that work reached a major milestone: construction began on the first phase of the Elk River Estuary Restoration Project, restoring roughly 40 acres at Swain Slough as part of a larger 857-acre effort to reconnect tidal wetlands and natural sediment and water flow throughout the estuary. Funded by NOAA, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and built through voluntary agreements with willing landowners, the project will expand critical habitat for salmon and steelhead while reducing flood and sea-level-rise risk for the surrounding community.

Estuary restoration is the most visible milestone in a much longer recovery — one that stretches from tidal wetlands at the bay to the sediment-choked reaches upstream. CalTrout and its partners are now in the planning and design phase for the watershed’s upper reaches, working alongside Humboldt Redwood Company, the Wiyot Tribe, and local landowners to complete the full recovery program by 2030. Reconnecting the Elk River will take patience, engineering, and above all, the continued trust of the community whose land and livelihoods are tied to this watershed.